--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Safe working conditions, fair wages…" description: "\"Safe working conditions, fair wages, protection from forced labor, and freedom from harassment and discrimination - these must become standard global o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/paul-polman-3721_discrimination_safe-working-conditions-fair-wages-prote_978645.png" --- # Safe working conditions, fair wages, protection from… ![“Safe working conditions, fair wages, protection from forced labor, and freedom from harassment and discrimination - these must become standard global operating conditions.” quote by Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/paul-polman-3721_discrimination_safe-working-conditions-fair-wages-prote_978645.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/paul-polman-3721_discrimination_safe-working-conditions-fair-wages-prote_978645.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/paul-polman-3721_discrimination_safe-working-conditions-fair-wages-prote_978645.png) > “Safe working conditions, fair wages, protection from forced labor, and freedom from harassment and discrimination - these must become standard global operating conditions.” [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Workplace standards must be universal, ensuring dignity and safety for all workers worldwide. **In simple terms:** Everyone deserves safe, fair work. Key Takeaway Advocate for global labor standards. Themes human rights fair labor ethical business global equity corporate responsibility Mood urgent hopeful determined Type advocacy policy ethical When to use this quote - manufacturing - service industry - retail - supply chains - NGO partnerships Key Concepts sustainability social justice policy reform Questions to Reflect On - How can companies enforce standards across borders? - What role should consumers play? A Different Perspective Implementation varies by region and can face resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discrimination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discrimination/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Protection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protection/) [Working conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-conditions/) ## Related quotes > [We must defend the rights of working people to bargain collectively for fair wages and safe working conditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cordray/we-must-defend-the-rights-of-working-people-to-bargain-collectively/) [Richard Cordray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cordray/) > [In Maryland, we will continue to fight to protect collective bargaining rights, ensure fair wages and benefits, and secure better working conditions for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-moore/in-maryland-we-will-continue-to-fight-to-protect-collective/) [Wes Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-moore/) > [Through job creation, quality public services and better working conditions, people, communities and countries can lift themselves out of poverty, improve livelihoods, engage in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharan-burrow/through-job-creation-quality-public-services-and-better-working/) [Sharan Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharan-burrow/) > [There is only one standard - a global standard. Be consistent, operate at 100% every single time you're given an opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/komla-dumor/there-is-only-one-standard-a-global-standard-be-consistent-operate-at/) Komla Dumor > [Very soon, most companies will need to have a global operating model - even if you only sell locally. Even mid-sized companies will source…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-champy/very-soon-most-companies-will-need-to-have-a-global-operating-model/) [James A. Champy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-champy/) > [Our men and women in uniform sacrifice every day to keep us safe, often working in some pretty unsafe places around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-tuberville/our-men-and-women-in-uniform-sacrifice-every-day-to-keep-us-safe/) [Tommy Tuberville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-tuberville/) > [Excessive amounts of overtime are not conducive to safe working practices and environments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-justice/excessive-amounts-of-overtime-are-not-conducive-to-safe-working/) [Jim Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-justice/) > [When minimum living wages, bargaining for fair wages, pensions, and job security are denied in too many countries, it is not rocket science to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharan-burrow/when-minimum-living-wages-bargaining-for-fair-wages-pensions-and-job/) [Sharan Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharan-burrow/) > [South Carolina is a 'right to work' state - a misnomer of a phrase, as the laws limits union representation of workers. It does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharan-burrow/south-carolina-is-a-right-to-work-state-a-misnomer-of-a-phrase-as-the/) [Sharan Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharan-burrow/) > [I had watched for many years and seen how a few rich families held much of Argentina's wealth and power in their hands. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evita-peron/i-had-watched-for-many-years-and-seen-how-a-few-rich-families-held/) [Evita Peron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evita-peron/) > [All New Mexicans need fair wages, high-quality health care, and a government that looks out for them - not just big corporations with Washington…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-ray-lujan/all-new-mexicans-need-fair-wages-high-quality-health-care-and-a/) [Ben Ray Lujan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-ray-lujan/) > [What we shouldn't be doing is trying to take away your rights to bargain for better wages or working conditions... These so-called "right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-we-shouldn-t-be-doing-is-trying-to-take-away-your-rights-to/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“But exceptional performance depends not only on the groundwork we lay through Deliberate Practice; it also requires the right working conditions. And in contemporary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/but-exceptional-performance-depends-not-only-on-the-groundwork-we-lay/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [I think the team that successfully puts together an economic and social policy framework for global full employment in decent working conditions based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-somavia/i-think-the-team-that-successfully-puts-together-an-economic-and/) [Juan Somavia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-somavia/) > [Corporations are driving down wages and working conditions across the globe to maximize returns for their shareholders. They use their power and influence to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winnie-byanyima/corporations-are-driving-down-wages-and-working-conditions-across-the/) [Winnie Byanyima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winnie-byanyima/) ## More by Paul Polman > [Renewable energy could reduce emissions but also create jobs and improve public health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/renewable-energy-could-reduce-emissions-but-also-create-jobs-and/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [When women are provided with training and entrepreneurial opportunities in distribution networks, they become role models in their communities, showing it is possible to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/when-women-are-provided-with-training-and-entrepreneurial/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [Companies are the first to see the costs of climate change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/companies-are-the-first-to-see-the-costs-of-climate-change/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [I don't subscribe to, 'Here are the top ten tips to successful leadership,' or, 'How to learn leadership in ten minutes.' A leader is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/i-don-t-subscribe-to-here-are-the-top-ten-tips-to-successful/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [I grew up in a small town in the Netherlands which, for years, had been a center of textile production.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/i-grew-up-in-a-small-town-in-the-netherlands-which-for-years-had-been/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [I do not work for the shareholder, to be honest. I work for the customer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/i-do-not-work-for-the-shareholder-to-be-honest-i-work-for-the-customer/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [The moment you discover in life that it's not about yourself, that it is about investing in others, I think you're entering a steadier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/the-moment-you-discover-in-life-that-it-s-not-about-yourself-that-it/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [In certain cases, empowering women starts with making their lives easier and removing unnecessary burdens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/in-certain-cases-empowering-women-starts-with-making-their-lives/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [When the climate hurts, people and businesses also feel the pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/when-the-climate-hurts-people-and-businesses-also-feel-the-pain/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [As CEO of Unilever, my personal mission is to galvanize our company to be an effective force for good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/as-ceo-of-unilever-my-personal-mission-is-to-galvanize-our-company-to/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [At the end of the day, people will follow you or people will be energised by you if they buy into your vision or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/at-the-end-of-the-day-people-will-follow-you-or-people-will-be/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [I discovered a long time ago that if I focus on doing the right thing for the long term to improve the lives of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/i-discovered-a-long-time-ago-that-if-i-focus-on-doing-the-right-thing/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [Practically, systemic thinking can be used to identify problems, analyze their boundaries, design strategies and policy interventions, forecast and measure their expected impacts, implement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/practically-systemic-thinking-can-be-used-to-identify-problems/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [I work a lot with blind people in my spare time outside of Unilever, and I count my blessings every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/i-work-a-lot-with-blind-people-in-my-spare-time-outside-of-unilever/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [If we achieve our sustainability targets and no one else follows, we will have failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/if-we-achieve-our-sustainability-targets-and-no-one-else-follows-we/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) [Explore all 123 Paul Polman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) ## More Discrimination quotes > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. In all of his teachings about multiple things - he never said that gay people should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/jesus-never-said-a-word-about-homosexuality-in-all-of-his-teachings/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [“Mental illness is not something you misunderstand in this era. Get educated because bias is no different than racism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/mental-illness-is-not-something-you-misunderstand-in-this-era-get/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [I believe that those who promote discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or any other grounds are gravely mistaken about the values that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-clinton/i-believe-that-those-who-promote-discrimination-on-the-basis-of/) [Bill Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-clinton/) > [Each Act of Parliament intended to address harassment and discrimination has faced objections on the basis of 'you'll never be able to prove...' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/each-act-of-parliament-intended-to-address-harassment-and/) [Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/) > [Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/nothing-better-protects-a-human-being-against-the-stupidity-of/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [It is obvious that discrimination exists. Women do not have the opportunities that men do. And women that do not conform to the system,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/it-is-obvious-that-discrimination-exists-women-do-not-have-the/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [The fact is that in too many parts of our country, we still have discrimination. And affirmative action is not just something that applies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/the-fact-is-that-in-too-many-parts-of-our-country-we-still-have/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [Judging someone by the color of their skin is ignorant. Their skin complexion has nothing to do with their morals, beliefs or intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/judging-someone-by-the-color-of-their-skin-is-ignorant-their-skin/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We try to take a very strong stance against discrimination and hatred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-blecharczyk/we-try-to-take-a-very-strong-stance-against-discrimination-and-hatred/) [Nathan Blecharczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-blecharczyk/) > [I resolutely believe that respect for diversity is a fundamental pillar in the eradication of racism, xenophobia and intolerance. There is no excuse for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/i-resolutely-believe-that-respect-for-diversity-is-a-fundamental/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [End discrimination and hate everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candy/end-discrimination-and-hate-everyone/) [Candy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candy/) > [This bill would allow an employee to bring a claim against an employer decades after the alleged initial act of discrimination occurred. Trial lawyers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-mckeon/this-bill-would-allow-an-employee-to-bring-a-claim-against-an/) Buck McKeon > [Legal discrimination between the sexes is, in almost every instance, founded on outmoded views of society and the pre-scientific beliefs about psychology and physiology.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/legal-discrimination-between-the-sexes-is-in-almost-every-instance/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) [Browse all 1,366 Discrimination quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discrimination/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Safe working conditions, fair wages, protection from forced labor, and freedom from harassment and discrimination - these must become standard global operating conditions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Polman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/safe-working-conditions-fair-wages-protection-from-forced-labor-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Discrimination" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/safe-working-conditions-fair-wages-protection-from-forced-labor-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/paul-polman-3721_discrimination_safe-working-conditions-fair-wages-prote_978645.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/paul-polman-3721_discrimination_safe-working-conditions-fair-wages-prote_978645.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/paul-polman-3721_discrimination_safe-working-conditions-fair-wages-prote_978645.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Safe working conditions, fair wages, protection from forced labor, and freedom from harassment and…” — Paul Polman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Paul Polman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Safe working conditions, fair wages, protection...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/safe-working-conditions-fair-wages-protection-from-forced-labor-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/safe-working-conditions-fair-wages-protection-from-forced-labor-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```